Still, this is an emotionally engaging, clever read.
What we have here is not historically uncommon: the early progress of an intensely clever, emotionally febrile figure, whose worries are further chafed by his dismay at seeing how directionless that progress feels.
Beckett's correspondence, Lane writes, shows us "the early progress of an intensely clever, emotionally febrile figure whose worries are further chafed by his dismay at seeing how directionless that progress feels".
Like some of Mr. Barnes's earlier works of fiction, the novel is dense with philosophical ideas and more clever than emotionally satisfying.
Its broad appeal, however, seemed to divide critics: for Tim Auld, writing in The Telegraph, it captured the zeitgeist; for others it pandered too much to female readers by peddling existing stereotypes of blundering husbands and "cool, clever, and emotionally tuned-in" wives.
Like some of Mr. Barnes's earlier works of fiction "The Sense of an Ending" (the title has been lifted from a work of literary theory by the critic Frank Kermode) is dense with philosophical ideas and more clever than emotionally satisfying.
Closed Loop Emotionally Valuable E-waste Recovery (Clever), a UK-based project drawing on experts from several universities, is seeking to develop ground breaking science that could prevent mobile phone waste.
It's a machine designed to thrill, please and satisfy; a one-sentence pitch – 911 responder breaks rule No 1, and gets emotionally involved – deftly realised, manipulative and clever enough to be irresistible.
It's his most emotionally honest work in years, far from the clever-clever technical games of films such as Dogville and The Boss Of It All.
With its catchy, upbeat score and clever lyrics, "Baby" manages to explore some emotionally charged thickets while remaining entertaining and engaging.
